The future of e-scooter (LZEV) regulation
The future of e-scooter (LZEV) regulation
I was pleased to be part of the Future of e-scooter Regulation event held by Bolt Burden Kemp, with the MIB, PACTS, the ABI and the Metropolitan Police
In a nutshell
BIBA members support greener, cheaper forms of micro-mobility and innovation, in fact it was an issue we first raised back in 2020.
BUT, we are very aware that 26 people are injured every week by an e-scooter. There were 1,351 casualties in 2021 including nine fatalities. The MIB (and innocent motorists ) are picking up the tab for the injuries caused by illegal private e-scooters in many instances, without any insurance premium paid into a pool.
Pending the progress of the Transport Bill (which should cover this) our position is that government need to introduce a ROBUST REGULATORY FRAMEWORK covering these issues:
A minimum age of 16 for users
No permitted use on pavements
Make mandatory the wearing of cycle/ suitable helmets (40% of the 19,000 cyclists killed or injured every year had head injuries and cycle helmets reduce head injuries by 80%)
Some basic compulsory public liability insurance – perhaps £5m or £10m (we believe that full RTA cover may be too expensive but it is beneficial to have some cover in place because those injured will seek compensation so users will need financial protection).
Creation of a simple e-scooter database
A way of identifying e-scooters (eg. in Europe some nations use bar codes or stickers).
The SAME RULES must apply to both rental and privately owned e-scooters.
Give e-scooter insurance a zero rating for IPT to keep cover as cheap as possible
A Mandatory Theory test
e-scooters should have agreed standards of construction: a maximum speed (no more than 15.5mph); a set maximum power and maximum weight; lights; minimum wheel sizes; auto shut-off; brakes; and an alerting device.
And finally, of course, we need full enforcement from the police – there have already been too many unnecessary incidents.
We would really like to see the Transport Bill published along these lines, in the meantime you can watch the event video here.
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